Power-transmission mechanism.



J. E. BEOKMAN.

POWER TRANSMISSION mnommsm.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1910. 998,831 Patented July 25, .1911.

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gh'w 15 6 h 16y COLUMBIA VLANOORAPH 50-, WAIHINOTON' D. C.

J. E. BEGKMAN.

POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1010.

998,831 Patented July 25, 1911.

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9 i lmllllmllllllIfl/(LIIIIL e COLUMBIA PLANMIAPH C0" WMNINGI'ON. D- C.

J. E. BEGKMAN.

POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1910.

998,831 Patented July'25, 1911.

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IIIIIII Z a I 4 'IIIIIA J. E. BBGKMAN.

POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM. APPLICATION rum) AUG. 22, 1910.

Patented July 25, 1911.

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JOHN E. BECKMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POWER-TRANS1VIISSION MECHANISM.

998,831. Specification of Letters Patent llatented July 25, 19.11.

Application filed August 22, 1910. Serial No. 578,317.

To all whom it may concern: suitable clutch mechanism. All of the gear-Be it known that 1, JOHN E. BnoiuMAN, ing is housed within an oil tightcasing. a citizen of the United States of America, The casing, in theform shown, is formed of and a resident of Chicago, county of (look, twosections 1 and 2 which have their abuta State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new ting edges dovetailed to have wedging fit and usefulImprovements in Power-Trans and to form an oil tight joint when forcedmission Mechanisms, of which the following together by the bolts 3 andnuts 4. The easis a specification. ing is suspended from the vehicleframe by The main objects of this invention are to the outwardly andupwardly disposed c5 provide an improved form of power trans arms 6.

mission mechanism whereby the necessity of The speed gear trains arearranged about Shifting gears n and Out Of mesh With the axis of therotatable supporting member each Other s avoided, d where y the 7, whichis fixed on an arbor 8 journaled in Changing f speeds iS c mpli y thethe casing, The supporting member 7 com- 70 shifting of ditlierent geartrains bodily into i th l t 9, 10 d 11 hi h are and out of operativeposition; and to prod t th b b lt 19, d t 13, Vide improved mechan shi gTubes 1 l;, placed over the bolts 12, space the ferent gear trains intoOpera iv p i ion, plates apart. In the form shown, provision and forConnec g nd disconnecting them is made for three speeds forward and theone 75 from the driving and dr v n m n speed reverse, and for each speedexcept the An illustra ve C b Cl 0f thig high speed, there is a pair ofshafts 15 and vention 8 Shown in t acc pa y ng 16 journaled in axialalinement in the hubs ing, in which 17 formed on the plates 9, 10 and1.1, and

Figure 1 is a plan view of a power traushaving their inner endstelescoping at 18 80 mission mechanism constructed according (Fi 4),Gears 19 d 20 n the shafts 15 to this invention and of a form suitablefor d 16 tiv ly, sh with gears 21 use in motor Vehicles- 2 i3 3 Side and22 on the shaft 23 which is journaled in Vation O the Sameg: 3 is on endQlQVflthe plates 9 and 11. The high speed gear tiOIl 0f the Samfig- 4 isan enlarged, comprises simply a shaft 24t to which the $5 SeCtlOIlZtlelevation tdkell 011 the line l alh driving: and driven eleynents arelipgcfly f ga 5 and 6 are enlarged trimsconnccted. The reverse geartrain includes verse sectional elevations taken respectively an extra ii 95 jou nalgd b t th On the HUGS 13-43 and (inc 0f gsplates 10 and 11and meshing with the gears 7 is an elevation of the speed changing go dQ2 90 'mechilnism Temmed from its casingg- The clutch mechanism, whichconnects S is a left end elewltion of the 311mm Flgs' the drivingelement 26 and the driven ele- 9 and 10 are secthmlll details taken meut27 with either of the gear trains, comsliecfively on the lines and ofprises shiltablo clutch members 28 carried 11 is a right end elevationof in the adjacent ends of the driving and 95 40 the Parts Shown in Fig?19 is a driven elements, each being splined to its retail in Perspectiveof P of the clutch spective element by a feather 29. The memec n m- F g-13 is it detail ill P bers 28 are shiftable toward each other sosped-1W3 of the roller g g- 14 iS as to be brought into engagement withthe p a fragm ntary Sectional detail 0f thO joint coacting clutchmembers 30 fixed on the 100 We n the g SQCtiOIlS- g- 15 is a outer endsof the shafts 15, 16 and 24. Each detail in Perspective of the Shockabsorbing clutch member 30 comprises a hub 31 hav elem t the Chltchesinga transverse annular flange and a pro- The device shown in the drawingscomjecting shoulder atthe edge thereof and pri e n ge r a pl r li y fgear trains spaced a my from the hub 31. Each clutch 105 angularlyspaced about an axis about which member 28 comprises a h ft 34, 1 1

they may be rotated by suitable mechanism ries the key 29, and which hasintegrally to bring ditl'erent gear trains into position formed on theend an enlarged hollow cyfor operative connection with the drivinglindrical part A split ring 36, formed and driven elements. The drivingconof spring material and having its ends ter- 110 nection between thegear trains and the minating in the outwardly disposed shouldriving anddriven elements is made by ders 37, is retained within the enlarged partI i v i 35 by means of the ring 38 secured by suitable screws. Theshoulders 37 project outward from the periphery of the part 35 throughan opening formed therein, and abut against the shoulders 39 (see Figs.8 and 11) to secure the ring 36 against relative rotation. The hub 31and the ring 36 have telescoping engagement when the clutch member 28 isengaged with one of the clutch members 30. When the clutch members arethus engaged, the driving strain is carried from one of the shoulders 39to the adjacent shoulder 37 of the ring 36, and then from the othershoulder 37 on the ring to the shoulder 33 of the other clutch member.This relative rotation of the two clutch members is first yieldinglyresisted by the spring ring 36 which, after becoming closely wrappedaround the periphery of the hub 31, can yield no further, and thus formsa positive connection between the two clutch members. This arrangementcauses an even distribution of the strain, and absorbs the shock uponthe parts so that it is particularly advantageous in a device of thiskind where one of the clutch members is likely to be rotating at a highspeed when the other is thrown into engagement with it. The inventionembodied in this clutch mechanism, just described, is not broadlyclaimed, but is made the subject matter of a copending application,Serial No. 57 8,7 00, filed August 24th, 1910, and allowed October 10th,1910.

The speed changing mechanism comprises the pinion 40 fixed on the arbor8, and in mesh with the gear sector 41 fixed on the shaft 42 which isjournaled in the casing section 2. An arm 43 is arranged to rock theshaft 42 and is connected to the operating lever 44 through the mediumof links 45 and 46 connected to the bell crank lever 47, the link 46being connected to an arm 48 rotatable with the shaft 49, to which thelever 44 is secured. A notched sector 50 coacts with the detent 51 onthe lever 44 to secure said lever in different positions correspondingto different speeds.

The clutch shifting mechanism comprises a rod or shaft 52 slidablymounted in the casing above the bearings of the driving and drivenelements, and has mounted thereon a pair of sleeves 53, one being fixedby the pin 54 and the other being free to slide on the shaft 52. Eachsleeve 53 has a depending integral fork 55 which engages with an annulargroove 56 in the part 35 of the corresponding clutch member 28. An arm57, pivotally mounted on the member 58, which is supported on the casingand held in place by the two adjacent bolts 3, is connected by links 59to lugs 60 integral with the sleeves 53. Through this system of linksand sleeves 53, simultaneous operation of the clutches at both ends ofthe gear trains is effected. The end of the rod 52, as shown in thedrawings, is directly connected by the In order to prevent the clutchmembers I 28 from being shifted to their closed position while the geartrains are in neutral positions, the sleeves 53 are provided with lugs62 adapted to coact with the edge of the outwardly projecting flanges 63on the plates 9 and 11. The flanges are recessed at 64 to receive thelugs 62 when the supporting member 7 is in such position that either ofthe speed gear trains registers with the driving and driven shafts.

The main driving clutch shown in the drawings represents a usual form offriction clutch and comprises a conical friction disk 65 connected byknuckle joints 66 to the shaft 26 and normally urged by a suitablespring (not shown) into engagement with the friction surface 67 formedon the fly wheel 68. In the drawings, a foot lever 69 is shown connectedto the clutch 65, whereby it is adapted to be thrown out of engagementwith the fly wheel 68, and to this foot lever mechanism the link 61 isconnected so as to permit the speed clutch mechanism to be operatedsimultaneously with the friction clutch.

All of the rotating power transmitting shafts are journaled in rollerbearings 70. A. cover 71 is secured to the casing over the opening 72.

The operation of the device shown is as follows :By virtue of theconnection between the main driving clutch and the operating mechanismof the speed clutches, all of said clutches are normally urged to theirclosed posit-ion by the spring which closes the main driving clutch. Bydepressing the foot lever 69, the operator may open the main drivingclutch, thus disconnecting the transmission mechanism from the engine.If the foot lever is shifted only a short distance, the speed clutcheswill be unaffected on account of the lost motion in the link 61, but ifthe foot lever 69 is pushed forward to the limit of its movement, theclutch members 28 will be simultaneously thrown back to their disengagedposition, and will allow the supporting member 7 to be rotated so as tobring the mechanism corresponding to any desired speed into itsoperative position. This movement of the member 7 is accom plished byshifting the lever 44. When the member 7 is in any position except theoperative position for one of the speed gear trains, the lugs 62 willengage the flanges 63 and hold the clutch members 28 retracted, eventhough the foot lever may be released. Thus, the release of the footlever will not interfere with the shifting of the member 7 so as tobring one of the speed gear trains into proper position for connectionwith the driving and driven elements. It is better, however, for theoperator to hold the foot lever depressed until he has brought theproper speed gear train into operative position, and then upon releasingthe foot lever, the clutches will automatically close.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shownand described, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from thespirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim 1. In a power transmission mechanism, the combination of drivingand driven elements, a plurality of different speed gear trainsangularly spaced about an axis and each adapted to connect said drivingand driven elements, a supporting member carrying said gear trains andjournaled to rotate on said axis, a pinion mounted to rotate saidmember, a gear sector in mesh with said pinion, an operating leveroperatively connected with said sector, whereby said supporting membermay be shifted to bring different gear trains into-position to connectsaid driving and driven elements, and clutch mechanism for connectingsaid gear trains with said driving and driven elements.

2. In a power transmission mechanism, the combination of driving anddriven elements, a plurality of dilierent speed gear trains forconnecting said driving and driven elements, a shiftable supportingmember for said gear trains,means forshifting said supporting member tobring different gear trains into position to connect said driving anddriven elements, clutch mechanism for connecting said gear trains withsaid driving and driven elements, and means for operating said clutchmechanism, said clutch operating means and said supporting member havingshoulders adapted to coact to prevent the operation of said clutchmechanism except when one of said gear t'ains is in position to beconnected with said driving and driven elements.

In a power transmission mechanism, the combination of driving and drivenelements, a plurality of different speed gear trains for connecting saiddriving and driven elements, a shiftable supporting member "for saidgear trains, said member having outwardly disposed flanges, means forshifting said supporting member to bring different gear trains intoposition to connect said driving and driven elements, clutch mechanismfor connecting said gear trains with said driving and driven elements,clutch shifting members, each having a shoulder adapted to coact withone of said flanges to hold said clutch mechanism out of engagement,said flanges having recesses adj acent to each of said gear trains andadapted to permit the entrance of said shoulders to allow the shiftingof said clutch members into interlocking engagement.

1. In a power transmission mechanism, the combination of driving anddriven elements, a plurality of difierent speed gear trains arrangedabout an axis and adapted to connect said driving and driven elements, asupporting member for said gear trains having outwardly disposed annularflanges thereon, said flanges having recesses adjacent to each of saidgear trains, means for rotating said supporting member to bringdifferent gear trains into position to connect said driving and drivenelements, clutch members rotatable with each of said gear t'ains,shiftable clutch members rotatable with said driving and drivenelements, clutch shifting means movably mounted adjacent to each of saidshiftable clutch members and having a part extending into e11- gagementtherewith, and shoulders on said clutch shifting means adapted to engagesaid flanges and prevent the interlocking engagement of said clutchmembers, except when opposed to said recesses.

5. The combination of driving and driven elements, a plurality ofdifferent speed gear trains for connecting said driving and drivenelements, a shiftable supporting member for said gear trains, means forshifting said supporting member to bring clifferent gear trains intoposition to connect said driving and driven elements, clutch mechanismfor connecting said gear trains with said driving and driven elements, a

driving clutch interposed between said driv ing and driven elements andsaid gear trains, and means for operating said driving clutch and saidclutch operating means simul taneously.

6. In a power transmission mechanism, the combination of driving anddriven elements, a plurality of different speed gear trains forconnecting said driving and driven elements, a shiftable supportingmember for said gear trains, and means for shifting said supportingmember to bring diflerent gear trains into position to connect saiddriving and driven elements, speed gear clutches for connecting saidgear trains with said driving and driven elements, a main drivingclutch, operating mechanism for said main driving clutch, and aconnection between said gear clutches and the operating mechanism ofsaid main clutch whereby said main clutch and said gear clutches can bemoved simultaneously, said connection having a joint which has enoughlost motion to allow opening of the main clutch Without necessarilyopening the speed gear clutches.

7. The combination of driving and driven elements, a plurality ofdiiierent speed gear trains for connecting said driving and drivenelements, a rotatable supporting member for said gear trains, a gearmounted to rotate With said supporting member,

10 means engaging said gear and movable to shift said supporting memberand thereby bring diiferent gear trains into position to connect saiddriving and driven elements, and clutch mechanism for connecting saidgear trains With said driving and driven elements.

Signed at Chicago this 13th day of August 1910.

JOHN E. BEOKIVIAN. Witnesses:

EUGENE A. RUMMLER, EDWIN PHELPS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

